The Whole Story or The Secret Behind the Tattoo
by Emily R
Summary: Kathryn discovers the real truth behind Chakotay´s tattoo


THE WHOLE STORY  
  
By Emily February 2002  
  
Disclaimer: The Star Trek Universe and everything in it belongs to Paramount, hell, they even own the tattoo...  
  
Kathryn was sitting on the floor of the overcrowded bedroom. All of her and Chakotay´s belongings were cramped into the room, and she was sitting in the middle, hell bent on getting some kind of order.  
  
She didn't know where to start.  
  
Pulling herself together she grabbed the box closest to her and started looking through what was inside. It was mostly Chakotay´s stuff she saw, one thing caught her eye immediately. It was an old fashioned book, the leather covering warn out from use. She took it up and ran her hand lightly across the cover before opening it.  
  
At the top of the first page she saw his name, and she hesitated. It said Chakotay. That, in itself was nothing that would stop her, he was after all her husband and they shared everything. This appeared however to be something personal. She sifted through the pages carefully and her suspicions were confirmed, it was a diary. The thought of Chakotay writing a diary made her smile, she hadn't known he did that. She looked at the date of the last entry and saw it was written just a month ago, right after they had gotten back from their honeymoon.  
  
Her eyes also caught sight of a sentence, later she would claim it hadn't been on purpose, but deep down inside she wondered whether she maybe it had been.  
  
The sentence read;  
  
I still haven't told Kathryn the whole story about the tattoo...   
  
Kathryn assumed that he was talking about the tattoo he had on his forehead, she hesitated for a fraction of a second and then kept on reading.  
  
...the timing just never seems to be right although I know that's just an excuse. I will, someday, I just hope she'll understand...  
  
Kathryn closed the book slowly. There was nothing more written. Her head was filled with questions, the whole story about the tattoo that was what he had written. What whole story? She wondered.  
  
Cleaning up the room totally forgotten she got up and walked down the stairs into the living room, sitting down on the sofa she read the short piece again. Then she replicated some coffee and, hiding the book away, she proceeded to wait for him to get home.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chakotay noticed at once that all was not well in his and Kathryn's new home. In fact he could see it the moment he entered through the front door.  
  
Kathryn was standing at the kitchen counter, holding a cup of coffee, gazing out the kitchen window not even acknowledging his entrance.  
  
Putting his bag down carefully he walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. She relaxed slightly, leaning against him but it would take more than a hug he realised.  
  
"Hey you, what's the matter?"  
  
"At the moment, you"  
  
Kathryn replied turning towards him and looking at him pointedly. She couldn't help but let her eyes drift to his tattoo. The tattoo she loved to trace with her finger tips, the tattoo she had memorised by heart, the tattoo he hadn't told her the whole story behind.  
  
"What have I done?" Asked a confused Chakotay.  
  
Kathryn realised that he might get upset at her for reading his diary, even though it was an accident, she reminded herself. Oh well, she thought and proceeded to tell him about how she had found the book and accidentally read the sentence about the tattoo.  
  
He was silent for a long time and she didn't know what to think about that.  
  
Finally he took her hand and led her to the living room, sitting down on the couch he began talking.  
  
"It's true that I haven't told you the whole story. My tattoo is a symbol my people took on, my father adopted it during our trip to the American rainforests and I...took it years later, after he had died."  
  
He took a deep breath.  
  
"What I've always led you, and others to believe is that I took it as a conscious choice, I joined the Maquis and had the tattoo done in honour of my father...what I haven't said is that I wasn't exactly...sober at the time."  
  
"When you joined the Maquis or had the tattoo done?" Kathryn asked before she could stop herself.  
  
"Had the tattoo done. I´d already left Starfleet by then."  
  
"You were drunk?" Kathryn asked, trying desperately to keep the laughter from her voice.  
  
"Yes. I actually don't really remember where I had it done. Anyway, I was feeling terrible, apart from the fact that my father had just died I had resigned from Starfleet to join the Maquis..."  
  
"So you went to a bar?"  
  
"I went to a bar."  
  
"And got drunk?"  
  
"Really drunk. The next morning, well afternoon, I woke up and realised I had somehow found a place to get this tattoo done, it's an exact replica of my fathers...I'm actually amazed at how I was able to explain to the person who did it..."  
  
"Maybe you drew it." Kathryn said, her mouth twitching with suppressed laughter.  
  
"So...does it have any meaning at all?"  
  
"Oh yes!" Chakotay was quick to answer. "That whole part is completely true. It's just the part of how exactly I got it that was...changed. Who knows, it's possible that I had gotten it anyway..."  
  
Chakotay trailed of as he looked at his wife, she's trying desperately not to laugh he realised.  
  
Glad that she wasn't angry with him he let out a sheepish grin and that was all it took. Kathryn burst out laughing until tears were in her eyes and she was holding on to the side of her stomach.  
  
Chakotay just let her laugh. He was actually glad that she knew, however embarrassing. She was his wife after all and she, if anyone, should know the whole story behind the tattoo.  
  
THE END 


End file.
